The Stress Of Moving

Dr. Wayne Dyer, in his book “I Can See Clearly Now” wrote about ending each day by thinking about all the positive things that happened during that day instead of leaving the day with anger or frustration. He called it “Now I lay me down to sleep”. He talked about how if we fall to sleep thinking about everything that went wrong with the day, it negatively affects our sleep. So then it’s logical that if our thoughts are the opposite – all the good things that happened during the day – then we can enter into sleep with a positive sense of peace and then it’s peaceful thoughts that fill our dreams.

The Stress Of Moving

Develop A Plan

You know, I’m a teacher at heart. I like having a lesson plan. So, when I entered into buying a house I had a plan. And, everything was going according to that plan. Then, I actually was able to move up the closing date which gave me extra time to make the house just perfect before I moved. So, I set in on arranging to have the walls painted, the floors refinished, and electrical work done with time to spare so that I could actually move some things in early.

Gather Necessary Resources

And in the beginning, everything was on track. I have a niece who agreed to paint walls. My daughter’s brother-in-law could fit me in to do the electrical work and I found someone who not only agreed to refinish the floors but also offered to install a pocket door over a pantry and add a closet at the front entrance. I was so excited that I came straight from the closing and started pulling up carpet.

I gathered packing boxes and did research on the cost of my top priority items. I then laid out a time table with the amount of time I had available, bought the paint, ordered the pocket door and scheduled it for pick up and kept working on that carpet. My hands and arms ached from pulling staples but I didn’t want anything to slow down all these great people who had so willingly found time in their schedules to fit me in.

Thrilled is an understatement.

Carry Out The Plan

I’ve been packing for a month, here and there. I like to take my time with things; clean things up, get rid of things, sort things into the right box so unpacking will be easy. And, I take care of grandchildren so I can’t pack nonstop. I like it paced out slow and easy.

Each of my “sub-contractors” checked in with dates and times when they would arrive to begin their work.

My plan was humming along.

Be Flexible

Now I’m going to tell you that not everything always goes according to plan. Every teacher knows that and adjusts. Still, it’s hard not to get frustrated and anxious. Will everything get done on time? Not everything is getting done as fast as promised. My time to get some things in ahead of time is running out. Still I keep moving forward. Time to order the refrigerator and microwave. This is exciting. It can be delivered on Saturday. Can I be there on Saturday? Absolutely!

Be Gentle With Yourself And Others

Saturday comes. The kitchen is in disarray. The stove had to be moved out of the way. It was sitting in the middle of the floor. Chunks of drywall and wood needed to be bagged and pulled out of the way from the pocket door work. The wall where the refrigerator will go needed to be painted. The floor needed to be cleaned. I didn’t have the microwave there early enough to have it installed by the electrician. He had everything else done. I should have ordered it sooner.

My niece came to paint the wall even though there was an impending weather event. She got as much of the kitchen painted as she could before I forced her to leave before the roads got bad.

The refrigerator was delivered…damaged. They didn’t even take it off the truck. The microwave that I ordered is too big for the space. It needs to be returned as well.

The pocket door is half done, the floor refinishing is waiting, the front closet is waiting, and I still have more staples to pull!

I looked around at everything disheartened and so I just turned and left.

End The Day With Positive Thoughts

“Now I lay me down to sleep.” Let’s see. How can I end today on a positive note? Easy.

Dear God,

I want to thank you for Rhonda (the painter). Do you know she came today even though she knew the roads could get bad early. She came because she had promised. Then when she left, she even loaded her car with excess carpet remnants to free up space in the garage.

Then there is all that electrical work. Rick (the electrician) had someone cancel this past week so he was able to come both Tuesday and Thursday. He has taken special care to make sure my house will have the right outlets. No more extension cords. The outlet is ready for the microwave when I get the right one. He even said that he would come back next week to add an additional outlet on a wall in my new office just so I can add the right kind of light next to a chair.

Earlier in the day, I got to attend a music class with my grand-daughters. It is the best hour of each Saturday. Happy little kids. Proud parents and grandparents. It always leaves me feeling blessed.

And then, when I locked up the house for the day, I drove to Best Buy where I had ordered the refrigerator and microwave. I asked to talk to a supervisor (a suggestion from my daughter). I told him the whole story – the refrigerator came damaged, the microwave was too big… He could hear my frustration. He said, “Let’s start at the beginning. Let’s talk about the microwave.” So I said that I clearly ordered the wrong size. It will look gigantic over the stove and hang way too low. He then broke into this little smile and said “You know we have this new microwave design. I haven’t even put it out on the shelf yet. It’s that new.” It’s 10 inches shorter than the other one and will fit fantastically in my kitchen. Then he said that we would have to reorder the refrigerator and make things right (with the price) because of my inconvenience. I left pleased.

After thinking through all the positive things that happened over the past days, I fell asleep at peace.

And I Slept Like A Baby

Is everything going smoothly and perfect. No. But, there are lots of things that are going well. Regardless, in thirteen days I will be moving in. Ready or not, here I come. And I am going to trust that everything will actually get done on time…maybe with a little time to spare!